LEICESTER — On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at approximately 8:54 p.m., Officer Matthew Fenuccio of the Leicester Police Department was dispatched to 227 Main Street following a report of an ongoing domestic disturbance between a male and female.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Fenuccio and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Fenuccio stated that the reporting party claimed his girlfriend, later identified as Tonya Calkins, was heavily intoxicated, “destroying” the apartment, pushed him to the ground and against a wall, and threw a bottle at him.
According to police, Tonya L. Calkins, 28, is a resident of 227 Main Street, Cherry Valley, MA.
Since our launch in February 2022, News Link Live has reached over 1.8 million viewers in Massachusetts and beyond. Interested in a targeted advertising campaign? Contact us at newslinklivealerts@gmail.com or book a consultation call with us through the button below to explore your options today!
“Dispatch advised responding officers that Tonya had left the scene on foot in an unknown direction. She was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, with camouflage pants,” Officer Fenuccio said. “While I was heading to the scene, I looked up and down Main Street (MA Route 9) for Tonya on foot, negative contact.”
Officer Fenuccio stated that Officers Michael Lombardozzi and James Murphy arrived on scene before him and began speaking with the victim to take his statement.
“They learned that Tonya had numerous alcoholic beverages and has done this before,” Officer Fenuccio recounted. “I briefly went inside to speak with [the victim] about what had happened. I also wanted him to show me exactly where the last place he saw Tonya was prior to losing sight of her. Lastly, I went to retrieve an article of clothing that Tonya had been wearing today.”
Officer Fenuccio stated that the victim led him to a bedroom, where he retrieved a shirt that Calkins had been wearing earlier and handed it to the officer.
“I gathered the shirt to use as a ‘scent article’ to prepare for a K9 track,” Officer Fenuccio explained. “At this point, I wanted to locate Tonya not only to speak with her regarding the allegations, but [I was] also concerned for her wellbeing (being intoxicated and unsure if she had any injuries).”
Officer Fenuccio added, “I exited the apartment and prepared K9 Cooney to conduct a track to locate Tonya. As I gathered the appropriate gear Officer [Nicholas] Wilson stated, ‘Is that her?’ motioning to a female matching the previous description walking towards us. We began walking towards this female and I called out ‘Tonya?’ she nodded her head yes.”
Officer Fenuccio stated that he and Officer Wilson continued approaching her a few houses down from the scene.
“I notified the other officers that we located her,” Officer Fenuccio said. “We began speaking with Tonya about what had happened, she immediately appeared intoxicated.”
Officer Fenuccio stated that she was unsteady on her feet, had a strong odor of alcohol on her breath, and her eyes were extremely bloodshot and glassy.
“As we continued to talk, Tonya’s speech was very slurred,” Officer Fenuccio added. “I was only able to ascertain that she and [the victim] had an argument. I placed Tonya in handcuffs behind her back (DL) [double locked] and checked for tightness. I explained to her that she was not under arrest but being detained. The report from dispatch was that she may have a knife on her person (in her backpack). I conducted a simple pat frisk of Tonya’s outer garments (sweatshirt) with Officer Wilson present. I also read Tonya her Miranda rights at this time.”
Officer Fenuccio then placed Calkins in the rear prisoner compartment of a cruiser.
“At this time, although she was not under arrest, from the information given, I believed enough probable cause existed for her arrest,” Officer Fenuccio said. “Even though the probable cause appeared to be established, I did not announce she was in custody until I had a chance to speak with [the victim] in more detail.”
After locating and detaining Calkins, Officer Fenuccio returned to the apartment to obtain a full statement from the victim.
“He stated that the couple got into an argument when [he] asked Tonya to slow down with her drinking,” Officer Fennucio said. “This led to her getting more aggressive with him ultimately to the point when Tonya pushed [him] into a wall”
The victim stated that he attempted to call 911, but Calkins grabbed the phone from his hands, preventing him from making the call.
“[The victim] was able to retrieve his phone and call 911 back,” Officer Fenuccio said. “He placed his phone in his pocket to allow dispatchers to listen to the call.”
Officer Fenuccio stated that he read the victim his domestic violence rights form, which the victim signed to acknowledge his understanding. He declined medical treatment and chose not to file a restraining order. Calkins was then transported to the Leicester Police Station for prisoner processing by Officer Wilson.
Calkins was charged with:
- Assault & Battery on Family/Household Member
- Witness/Juror/Police Court Official, Intimidate
Calkins’ bail was set at $2,500.
She was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court on March 13, 2025.
Her next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for May 8, 2025
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from earlier this month, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
To learn more about News Link Live’s unique business model, please read the following:
An online business model that could replace local newspapers
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud
